Hartlepool school celebrates hat-trick of top awards for dedication to sport

Clavering Primary School has received the School Games Mark Gold standard for the third successive year. Pupils Millie, Alfie, Abigayle, Jake, Naise, Hannah and Kobe

Clavering Primary School has been awarded the Gold standard of the School Games Mark for the third consecutive year.

The School Games Mark was created by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and rewards schools for their commitment to and the development of competition, school sport and physical education.

Schools that achieve Gold are as sign a school is a ‘beacon of sporting excellence’.

Delighted Clavering headteacher Helen O’Brien, said: “The Clavering PE and Sport Programme, led by our deputy headteacher Mr McAvoy, continues to go from strength to strength.

“In fact, the 2015-2016 academic year saw some of our greatest ever competitive sport achievements with 100% of pupils competing in intra-school competitions and 94% of our Year 6 children leaving Clavering having competed for the school in inter-school sport, which included a staggering 63% of pupils who competed in Tees Valley Finals.”

During the year, Clavering sports stars won medals in town finals in 14 different sports formats including tag rugby, mixed football, basketball, athletics, cross country, and kwik cricket.

The school won six town titles, and Clavering pupils represented the town in a record 10 Tees Valley Finals including tag rugby, mixed football, dodgeball, orienteering, and table tennis.

Clavering deputy headteacher Mr McAvoy, who is also part of the prestigious Headteacher Ambassador Network within the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Last academic year truly was a stunning year in terms of the success that we enjoyed in elite competitive sport and we have already continued in a similar vein this year; however, we are equally proud of the number of different children who got to compete for Clavering at all ability levels and the wide range of sports on offer.

“Achieving the Gold standard of the School Games Mark is something that we now aim for every year, and we are very keen to see every Hartlepool school achieve the Gold standard.

“There are some very good examples of collaborative work in sport within the town and we are very keen to support, work alongside and learn from any other school that shares our belief that healthy, active children achieve more.”